Page 129 of Kneel Before Me

“Why?”

“Because I would not crest Kronos.”

“You disobeyed your father,” she said softly.

Caspen could not hear that one more time tonight. “I made a choice,” he snapped, “and I stand by it.”

Harmony raised an eyebrow. “Do you?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you so angry?”

Caspen rolled his shoulders. He was angry for myriad of reasons. But the primary one was “Apollo.”

“Hm.” Harmony touched his chest, trailing her hand down his torso. “What has he done now?”

Caspen just shook his head. There were no words to describe the situation he was in. “I do not wish to discuss Apollo.”

“Then what do you wish to discuss?”

He looked down at Harmony. Her hand was resting just above his cock. “The Ranking.”

She tilted her head. “What about it?”

“I require a guest.”

A sly smile twisted her lips. “Do you?”

“You know I do.”

Everyone knew that the Ranking consisted of a series of challenges and that each challenge required a partner. Every basilisk in the running to become Serpent King would need a guest who could help them compete.

“And who will you choose?” Harmony whispered.

Caspen nearly ripped her head off right then and there. She knew he wanted to choose her. She knew he could only do so with her consent.

“I want to choose you.”

“I am flattered. But your brother needs a guest too.”

She was not going to make this easy for him; she was going to make him beg for it. Normally he would not mind, but the stakes for this Ranking were too high. His guest needed to be someone he had a connection with and a powerful one at that. Having Harmony by his side—the woman who had taught him how to have sex—was an undeniable advantage that Caspen could not lose to his brother.

Harmony looked up at him, her eyes wide and wanting. Her hand was around his cock. She began to stroke. “Why should I do this for you?”

Caspen bristled at her words. He had enough pressure from his family—he did not need it from her too. “Because you want to.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. You like being told what to do.”

Her face split into a smile. “You mistake me for you.” She was still stroking him.

“I will not convince you,” he snapped. “You should do it because if I am king, you will be my queen.”

Harmony raised a single eyebrow. “If is a weak word, Caspenon. Do you not feel confidence in your abilities?”

“What word should I use instead?”